UVM basketball faces test against Northeastern

Ten Vermont players found the scoresheet and Catamounts won their second straight game defeating Fisher College in blowout fashion 84-37 on Saturday afternoon. Vermont climbs back to .500 with the win evening its record at 6-6 while Fisher falls to 5

Catamounts Guard Ernie Duncan (20) dribbles the ball down the court between during the men’s basketball game between the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos and the Vermont Catamounts last week.(Photo: BRIAN JENKINS/for the FREE PRESS)

After a rollicking win over Fisher College on Saturday, the University of Vermont men's basketball team faces another Massachusetts team with far greater pedigree.

The Catamounts (6-6) head to Boston to square off with former America East rival Northeastern (7-4) for a nonconference showdown Tuesday at 1 p.m.

The Huskies, picked to finish third in the Colonial Athletic Association, lost to No. 1 Michigan State at home on Saturday and have earlier wins over Stony Brook, Harvard and nationally ranked Miami.

Northeastern also reached the NCAA tournament a year ago, nearly knocking off Notre Dame in the second round.

"We will have our hands full," UVM coach John Becker said.

The teams' first meeting since 2012 will give Becker and Co. a chance to catch up with former UVM assistant Chris Markwood, who's in his second year on the Northeastern coaching staff.

"They look a lot like us, I think (Markwood) brought our offense down there — they run the same ball-screen motion as we do, some of the same sets," Becker said. "Hopefully there is some comfort level in guarding our own offense, which we do every day in practice."

But that assignment will be a tough one, considering Northeastern boasts an offense that averages 75.3 points a game and has made 37.1 percent of 3-point attempts.

"They shoot the ball really well, so we are going to have to defend the 3-pointer, which has been a problem for us this year," Becker said. "They are going to be a test defensively and we are going to have to score the ball well and hopefully dominate the paint and be the tougher team."

"They have talent on their team, but from an X's and O's standpoint, it's going to look similar," Becker said.

With wins over UC Santa Barbara and Fisher, a NAIA Division II independent program, the Catamounts returned to .500. But those victories, while good for morale, are just a result of the Catamounts executing in practice.

"We just have to continue to get better and continue to look like Vermont basketball out there," Becker said.

Cam Ward: "We are feeling confident, but I would say we are not satisfied."

Four players are averaging double figures for UVM: Trae Bell-Haynes (11.8), Kurt Steidl (11.5), Ernie Duncan (11.4) and Ethan O'Day (10.5). Ward, meanwhile, has climbed to a 9.3 clip after hitting for double digits in seven of his last eight games, including Saturday's game-high 15 points.

Tip-ins: Suspended guard Dre Wills did not make the trip to Boston, said Becker, adding there was no further update on the junior's status. … Fisher's 11 made field goals were the fewest allowed by a Catamounts team in the modern era (after 1960), according to UVM athletics. … Northeastern leads the all-time series with UVM at 41-28, but the Catamounts have claimed six of the last seven, including the last one in 2012.

Contact Alex Abrami at 660-1848 or aabrami@freepressmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/aabrami5